Glen Cove Hospital To Maintain Emergency, Clinic Services

Proposed changes for Glen Cove Hospital are intended to strengthen the institution so that it can continue to serve the community, North-Shore LIJ Health System officials said Tuesday.

In a meeting with local newspaper editors, hospital officials said the pending changes – which would include phasing out inpatient beds for stays longer than 24 hours but expanding ambulatory care services – were in response to a healthcare industry in transition where fewer patients are hospitalized overnight. Currently, officials said, operations at Glen Cove Hospital, which now sees overnight stays, are unsustainable.

The hospital “has served the community for 50 years,” said Mark Solazzo, North Shore LIJ’s executive vice president and chief operating officer. “We want to continue to serve the hospital for the next 50 years.”

But, he said, “healthcare has been changing. We’re trying to evolve and meet the needs of the community.”

North Shore-LIJ announced Tuesday that the services it aims to expand include an ambulatory surgery center, medical offices, outpatient cancer services, a community health and outreach center, and physical therapy and rehabilitation.

The hospital would also add “better preventive services to address the needs of the underserved,” Solazzo said.

“This is a difficult decision because we recognize that the community and our employees have strong emotional ties to Glen Cove Hospital, but we also know that this is the right decision to meet the current and future health needs of the community, preserve jobs and strengthen our financial stability,” Solazzo said.

The hospital plans to begin phasing out its inpatient beds in January 2014. At that time, it would relocate its orthopedic surgery program to North Shore-LIJ’s Syosset Hospital. In addition, Glen Cove’s rehabilitation, traumatic brain injury unit and psychiatry programs would be relocated to other North Shore-LIJ facilities during the first quarter of 2014.

There are no current plans to implement similar changes at other hospitals, Solazzo said, adding that Glen Cove, which has seen reduced patient volume for years “is a little more isolated.”

In addition, the hospital has not decided which parts of the building it would use, and how unused sections would be repurposed, Solazzo said.

Glen Cove Hospital administration is working closely with the health system’s human resources and recruiting professionals to evaluate jobs, roles and responsibilities, and identify transfer opportunities across the health system, which hires about 100 employees per week for its 15 owned hospitals and nearly 400 outpatient practices throughout the New York metropolitan area.

News of the changes prompted concerns in Glen Cove about access to care, impact on employment and how the hospital as a valued resource would be altered.

“I’m not pleased,” said Glen Cove Mayor Ralph Suozzi Tuesday evening while attending the St. Rocco’s Feast. Earlier in the day Suozzi had met with hospital officials.

“This is our healthcare system,” he said. “It’s very important to our community.”

Suozzi plans to meet with Michael Dowling, North Shore-LIJ’s CEO, along with the health system’s board. In addition, he has reached out to the governor’s office and state and local officials, and already met with Glen Cove’s first responders.

“I want to make every effort to find a solution that less painful and grow the system instead of shrinking it,” Suozzi said.

He added: “In the end, it’s their needs as an organization versus our needs as a customer.”